Abstract.
The key problem of the future theory of consciousness is how to incorporate
altered states of consciousness within a new paradigm, as purely biochemical
mechanisms are not accelerated up to several orders of magnitude, in comparison
with subjective time sense dilation in altered states of consciousness - in
respect to the normal awake state. The electromagnetic (EM) component of ultralowfrequency
(ULF) "brainwaves" appears to enable perfect fitting with narrowed down limits
of conscious capacity in normal awake states and very extended limits in altered
states of consciousness - due to the biophysical relativistic mechanism of
dilated subjective time base. It also enables the mixing of the normally conscious
and unconscious contents in altered states, due to the relativistic Doppler
mapping of the EM component of the "objective" ULF brainwave power spectrum
on the zero-degenerate-frequency "subjective" one. An additional low-dielectric
() weakly ionized gaseous neural network is necessary in
these processes, which can be related to a displaced (from the body) part
of acupuncture EM/ionic "optical" microwave (MW) quantum holographic neural
network-like system modulated by ULF brainwave currents ~ 10-7
A, inside the conductive channels of the initial ionic concentration ~ 1015
cm-3, with a tendency of deterioration during a period of ~ 1 hour.
The displaced ionized gaseous part of "optical" MW quantum holographic neural
network-like acupuncture system, with embedded EM field of ULF brainwave currents,
enables that "objective" distances can be "subjectively" optically recognized
as much closer in altered states - due to the relativistic mechanism of the
length contractions. Even most peculiar space-time transpersonal interactions
are predicted in nonstationary () transitional states during the interchange
of normal and altered states of consciousness, due to the relativistic generation
of wormholes in highly noninertial "subjective" reference frame, fully equivalent
to extremely strong gravitational fields according to Einstein¹s Principle
of equivalence. Furthermore, as the EM field is only one out of four manifestations
of the unified physical field, it can be tentatively generalized that the
unified field may be internal conscious display for various physical processes,
implying that Nature itself has consciousness at all structural levels - which
is supported by analogous mathematical formalisms of Feynman¹s version of
the Schrödinger equation and Hopfield¹s holographic neural network dynamics,
implying similar information processing on both microscopic quantum and macroscopic
biophysical levels. This bizarre nonlocal pantheistic idea of consciousness
can naturally help in resolving the fundamental difficulties of quantum collapse:
for instance, in Penrose¹s gravitationally induced wave function reduction
of measurement-like processes with highly noninertial microparticles interactions,
the very mechanism for this process could be continuous opening and closing
of local microparticles¹ wormholes, addresses of their exits being related
(probabilistically) to one of the possible eigenstates of corresponding microparticles
- and everything being coupled to corresponding probabilistic addressing of
the "nonlocal consciousness". It is important to note that there is unifying
element for the two levels, microscopic and macroscopic, appearing in the
theory expounded: this is the possibility to deal with the individual systems
in both dynamical and interpretational context of the theory.

The
key problem of the future theory of consciousness is how to incorporate altered
states of consciousness [1] (REM sleep, meditation, hypnosis,
psychedelic drug influence, some psychopathological states, and near-death
experiences) within a new paradigm. It should be pointed out that purely biochemical
mechanisms of the Baars¹ extended reticular-thalamic activating system (serving
as a selector and amplifier of the conscious content out of many other currently
processed nonamplified contextual unconscious contents) are not accelerated
up to several orders of magnitude, as the subjective time sense is dilated
in altered states of consciousness - in respect to the normal awake state.

The
only mechanism that can account for the extremely dilated subjective time
base in altered states of consciousness is the relativistic biophysical
one, if only the "subjective" observer can be associated with an EM field
of the ultralowfrequency (ULF) brainwaves which can move through the brain
with relativistic velocities, as it was extensively elaborated in our biophysical
model of altered states of consciousness for the past ten years [2].
However, it is necessary that complete information (both conscious and unconscious)
is permanently coded from neural network to brainwaves, as a spatio-temporal
pattern resulting from changes of the synaptic interconnections in the neural
networks of the brain. To be more specific, the ionic medium supporting propagation
of the brainwave ULF ionic currents must be unhomogeneous, to ensure that
the "subjective" observer (associated with the EM component of reference ULF
brainwaves), moving through the part of medium of greater , could register time-dilated information from faster EM
component of brainwaves moving through the neighboring part of medium of lower
. Then, at every moment the "subjective"
observer is associated with the EM component of brainwaves in the dielectrically
"denser" medium, and the whole such system behaves like some "center of consciousness".
The informational content of such "subjective" observer is continuously replaced
by a new incoming EM component of brainwaves. So, we have permanently some
"stream of consciousness". More precisely, for inflowing information (in the
form of ULF brainwave ionic currents, coded in spatiotemporal patterns from
the brain neural networks) to be recognized by the structured ionic medium,
that medium itself must have a form of some kind of "optical" neural network
- thus the "subjective" observer being associated with the EM component of
brainwaves in dielectrical "condensations" (of greater ), behaving like "distributed centers of consciousness"!

The
model [2] perfectly fits with the narrowed-down limits of
conscious capacity in normal awake state (when brainwaves are predominantly
located in the brain tissue with relative dielectric permittivity ), and very extended limits in altered states of consciousness
(characterized by low-dielectric states, when the relative velocity between the "objective" laboratory
reference frame and the "subjective" one is highly relativistic, , where co is a velocity
of EM waves in vacuum) - due to biophysical relativistic mechanism of dilations
of the subjective time base. This relativistic mechanism also enables
the dream-like mixing of the normally conscious and unconscious contents
in altered states, due to the relativistic Doppler mapping of EM component
of the "objective" ULF brainwaves power spectrum on the zero-degenerate frequency
"subjective" one. The biophysical nature of low-dielectric () structure has also been analyzed: this structure could be related
to partly displaceable (from the body) unhomogeneous ionic acupuncture system,
which can conduct ULF brainwave currents ~ 10-7 A, inside the conductive
channels of the initial ionic concentration ~ 1015 cm-3,
with a tendency of deterioration during a period of ~ 1 hour. Additionally,
ionic acupuncture currents, and accompanying electromagnetic (EM) fields,
have both ultralowfrequency (ULF) and microwave (MW) components, i. e. the
very fast and very coherent quantum-like resonance MW component [3,4] is amplitude-modulated by significantly slower
ULF component, which also support the EM/ionic "optical" MW/ULF quantum holographic
neural network-like function of the acupuncture system, and its essential
relation to consciousness, as strongly suggested from modeling of altered
states of consciousness [2].1

It
should be noted that some peculiar spatial relativistic effects in
altered states of consciousness (when )
are predicted by the model [2]: the weakly ionized gaseous
neural network, with embedded ULF brainwave currents, enables that even long
"objective" distances can be "subjectively" optically recognized contracted;
and, such displaced ionic "optical" neural network can perceive an environment
panoramically, as reported by reanimated patients. Even more peculiar
spatio-temporaltranspersonal interactions are predicted in
transitional (nonstationary) states of interchange of normal and altered
states of consciousness (when brainwaves traverse from high-dielectric ()
to low-dielectric ()
state or vice versa, the relative velocity of "subjective" reference frame being subjected to abrupt change
in short transitional period t ~ 0.1 s, with "subjective frame" acceleration
~ co /t ~ 109 m/s2 ). Deeper
understanding of physical mechanisms of these processes obviously sinks into
the General theory of relativity, applied to highly noninertial reference
frames (like in enormously strong gravitational fields of wormholes, where
similar phenomena are expected [12]). From the point of
view of General theory of relativity, physical processes in accelerated reference
frame outside gravitational field and in that one inside gravitational field
with equal (gravitational) acceleration - are identical (so-called Principle
of equivalence, being one of the fundamentals of Einstein¹s theory of
gravitation). Theoretical analyses show that in enormously strong gravitational
fields so-called wormholes (or Einstein-Rosen space-time bridges) are created,
whose entrance and exit could be in very distant space-time points. As in
transitional states of consciousness the "subjective" reference frame, related
to EM field of brainwaves, is subjected to quick change of velocity, with
equivalent acceleration comparable with that one in enormously strong gravitational
field of wormholes, according to the Principle of equivalence one could expect,
in such brief states, the creation of Einstein-Rosen bridge and tunneling
of "subjective observer", i. e. consciousness, in previously "mentally addressed"
exit in space-time (to support this, one can cite the technique adopted by
"extrasenses" when they want to exert some distant influence: they always
intensely visualize the person or place, as mental targets; on the other hand,
this could be deeply connected with the role of consciousness in quantum theory
of measurement, where consciousness with its act of observation affects the
final collapse of the initial wave function into one of possible probabilistic
eigenstates - which implies that the collapse could be related with generation
of local Einstein-Rosen bridge [13,14],
as it is elaborated further on). Reminiscences on passing through some tunnel
have been really reported by many patients reanimated from clinical death!
It should be pointed out that apart from the EM field, the displaced part
of ionic acupuncture system (in the form of ionic neural network, having the
"optical" sensory function), must also be tunneled in such (acausal) interactions
of consciousness with distant events in space-time! This could be a biophysical
mechanism of the so-called astral projections of consciousness, those
presumably being the basis of most psychic phenomena [15]
(providing also explanation for transitional nature and difficult reproducibility
of these phenomena); the mentioned astral projections are presumably also
the basis of religious experiences, with mental addressing on spatio-temporally
distant abundant ionic archetypic structures from religious traditions, being
the target of prayer in transitional states of consciousness.

Finally,
if the EM field of ULF ionic currents represents sophisticated internal display
(related to consciousness) of neural network information processing, it seems
that consciousness is not privilege of humans - but can be also a characteristic
of higher animals. Even more, if microtubular cytoskeletal structures have
neural network-like electrical activities on subcellular level, it seems that
consciousness can be descended down to the cellular and even subcellular level.
Naturally, the conscious content displayed in such EM internal displays depends
on the complexity of corresponding neural network information processing at
different levels, from subcellular to brain ones. Furthermore, as the EM field
is only one out of four manifestations (electromagnetic, gravitational, weak
and strong nuclear forces) of the unified physical field, it can be tentatively
generalized that the unified field itself may be internal conscious display
for various physical processes at different structural levels, from macroscopic
cosmic to microscopic subnuclear ones. As a consequence, one could conjecture
that Nature itself has consciousness at different structural levels, both
animate and inanimate, as it is widely claimed in esoteric traditional knowledge.
In that context, all local consciousnesses might be interconnected (through
previously described interactions in altered and, especially, in transitional
states of consciousness) making the giant cosmic informational network with
delocallized consciousness, implying again the crucial significance of morals,
both on the level of thoughts and feelings!

Although
such nonlocal pantheistic idea of consciousness is rather bizarre, it can
naturally help in resolving the fundamental problem of the wave function
reduction in the quantum theory of measurement, where in an act of measurement
(including finally the very act of conscious observation of the act of measurement)
the macroscopic measuring apparatus (including consciousness as "subjective"
observer) makes reduction of the initial wave function into one of the possible
eigenfunctions of the system. The problem of the wave function reduction (collapse)
in an act of measurement is "orthodoxly" interpreted in quantum theory of
measurement as the discontinues change induced by the observation of a quantity
with eigenstates Y1, Y2, ... , in which the initial
wave function will be changed to the
state Yj with probability . The collapse of the
wave function and the assignment of statistical probabilities do not follow
from the Schrödinger equation - they are consequences of an external a priori
metaphysics, which is allowed to intervene at this point and suspend the Schrödinger
equation, or rather replace the boundary conditions on its solution by those
of the collapsed state function. The problem of quantum theory of measurement
has not been consistently resolved to date, and has been the subject of many
serious theoretical efforts, from the very beginning of Quantum mechanics
[16].

On
the other hand, Quantum mechanics is nonlocal theory, as even very
distant parts of quantummechanical system (which cannot exchange light signals)
can be physically correlated in the act of measurement (like in Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen
paradox [16]). As an extreme consequence, this implies that consciousness
as "subjective" observer in such kind of experiment must have nonlocal properties.
The property of nonlocality of consciousness is automatically fulfilled
in our relativistic biophysical model, according to which consciousness is
inherently and globally related to the very electromagnetic field of
the brainwaves ionic currents! Having in mind that EM field is only one out
of four manifestations of the unified physical field - it might be that the
very unified field is nonlocal internal conscious display for various
physical processes at different structural levels, from microscopic to macroscopic
ones. This might be supported by analogous mathematical formalisms
of Feynman¹s version of the Schrödinger equation and Hopfield¹s holographic
neural network dynamics [10], implying similar information
processing on both microscopic quantum and macroscopic biophysical levels!

This
bizarre nonlocal pantheistic idea of consciousness can naturally help in resolving
the fundamental difficulties of the wave function reduction. In one of the
most recent approaches, Penrose proposes gravitationally induced wave function
reduction [17]. Actually, gravitational field of the state of observing apparatus
F, with all possible observable outputs Fi, must be also involved
in the superposition of quantum eigenstates () - this implying different
space-time geometries superimposed. However, when the geometries become sufficiently
different (on the Planck-Wheeler scale ~ 10-35 m), thus implying
ill-defined standard superposition of the matter eigenfunctions in strictly
separate spaces - Nature must choose between one of them and objectively
affects wave function reduction. Moreover, as microparticles are continuously
subjected to fantastic accelerations (~ v2/r ~ 1023
m/s2 for electrons bounded in atoms, and ~ 1029 m/s2
for protons and neutrons bounded in nucleus, ...), which can be met also in
extremely strong gravitational fields - according to the Principle of equivalence
one should expect [2] continuous opening and closing of local
Einstein-Rosen bridges, addresses of their exits being related (probabilistically)
to one of the possible eigenstates of corresponding microparticles. This process
might yet be the mechanism for some sort of the wave function reduction, implying
why so important the mental addressing is in transitional states of
consciousness, related to space-time tunneling of consciousness, described
above! It also reveals that Quantum mechanics and the General theory of relativity
seem to be deeply interconnected on microparticle level, showing that microparticles
are continuously vanishing and reemerging (subjected obviously to corresponding
conservation laws) in measurement-like interactions, throwing a new light
on wave-particle dualism and other quantummechanical phenomena.

In
that framework, the role of consciousness in quantum theory of measurement
turns out to be extremely important [2]! For instance, in
gravitationally induced wave function reduction, the very mechanism for this
process could be continuous opening and closing of local microparticles¹ Einstein-Rosen
bridges, addresses of their exits being related (probabilistically) to one
of the possible eigenstates Yi of corresponding microparticles
- and everything being related to corresponding probabilistic addressing Fi
of "nonlocal consciousness".

It
is important to note that there is unifying element for the two levels, microscopic
and macroscopic, appearing in the theory expounded. This is the possibility
to deal with the individual systems in both dynamical and interpretational
context of the theory. For the completeness, let us distinguish the different
aspects of "individuality" of microparticles in the standard formulation of
quantum mechanics: (1) from the experimental point of view, by "individual
systems" one should admit each single run of the (quantum) measurement;
(2) from the conceptual point of view, the same should be understood as an
element of an ensemble of (mutually identical) microparticles. To this end,
the practical (laboratory) realization of ensemble completely fits with the
(standard) concept of the Gibb¹s ensemble, thus providing the possibility
to deal with a (quantum) state of an individual microparticle (i. e. with
an element of ensemble).

It
should be added that physical interaction of the displaced gaseous ionic "optical"
neural network with possible "objective" system (described by possible
wave function Yi) or corresponding possible state of "nonlocal
consciousness" (Fi), in space-time tunneling of consciousness during
transitional states of consciousness - opens also a question on the nature
of wave functions - which should provide a picture of quantum-level physical
reality (not only serving as a calculational device, useful merely for calculating
probabilities, or as an expression of the experimenter¹s "state of knowledge"
concerning physical system)! Then by changing initial state of "nonlocal consciousness"
(F) one can influence probabilities of realization of corresponding states
Fi, i. e. possible objective states Yi. As the state
of "nonlocal consciousness" (F) is a composite state constituted of (noninteracting)
states of all "individual consciousness" (jk), it follows that the change of state jk
of "individual consciousness" can affect the state F of "nonlocal consciousness",
and therefore the probabilities for realization of possible objective states
Yi. This is particularly true if the state F is very sensitive
on small changes of initial conditions, which is the case for physical systems
described by deterministic chaos. Having in mind that the brain and corresponding
state jk of "individual consciousness" is such kind of system,
then the composite state F of "nonlocal consciousness" is also described by
deterministic chaos - and therefore very sensitive on small changes in initial
conditions! Such a conclusion implies extraordinary practical significance
of contents of our "individual consciousness", as they directly determine
the probability of realization of possible objective states Yi,
i. e. the future events, no matter how bizarre this conclusion looks like
[2]!

In
this framework, it might be also said that (complex-valued) EM/ionic "optical"
MW/ULF acupuncture quantum neural network of "individual consciousness" triggers
the "collapse" of (complex-valued) quantum wave-function - via relativistic
wormhole (real-valued) classical environment in transitional states of consciousness
[13] - and thus transform the (complex-valued) probabilistic
dynamics of quantum world, related to (complex-valued) consciousness, into
the (real-valued) deterministic dynamics of classical world, related to (real-valued)
biological neural networks [10] - which might offer biophysical
prospects for hypothetical conscious brain-like computers [14].
In support to this, there are strong indications [18] that
biological neural networks essentially cooperate with quantum networks in
the brain.

REFERENCES

[1]
In C. Tart, ed., Altered States of Consciousness (Academic, New York,
1972); K. Jaspers, Allgemeine Psychopathologie (Springer, Berlin, 1953);
R. A. Moody, jr., Life after Life: The Investigation of a Phenomenon -
Survival of a Bodily Death (Bantam, New York, 1975).

1
In support of the ULF nature of ionic currents in acupuncture channels, one
can cite the resonance ULF stimulation of the acupuncture analgesia endorphin
(at ~ 4 Hz) and serotonine and/or norepinerphine (at ~ 200 Hz) mechanisms
[5], as well as the efficiency of the German school of the
resonance ULF therapy [6]; on the other hand, the evidence
for the MW component of ionic acupuncture currents is provided by the efficiency
of the Ukrainian-Russian school of the resonance MW (~ 30-300 GHz) therapy
[3,4]. The quantum-like coherent characteristics of the resonance MW
therapy (sharply-resonant sensory response of the disordered organism, extremely
low-intensity and low-energy non-thermal biologically efficient MW radiation,
and negligible MW energy losses down acupuncture meridians) might be a consequence
of the existence of biological nonlocal selfconsistent macroscopic quantum
potentials [7], which can give rise to nonlinear coherent
EM MW long-range maser-like excitations of biological nonlinear absorption
medium with the cells as active centers - with acupuncture meridians related
to eigenfrequences and spatio-temporal eigenwaves distributions of every individual
biological quantum system. This suggests that healthy condition might be considered
as an absolute minimum (ground state) of the nonlocal selfconsistent macroscopic
quantum potential of the organism, some disorders of an acupuncture system
corresponding to higher minimums of the (spatio-temporally changeable) potential
hypersurface in energy-configuration space [8], which possibly
explains the higher sensory responses of the more excited (more disordered)
acupuncture system, and poor MRT sensory response of the healthy acupuncture
system being already in the ground state. Such a picture is very close to
those of associative neural networks in their energy-configuration spaces
[8], and to pattern recognition as convergence of the neural
networks to the bottoms of the potential hypersurfaces, being the attractors
of neural networks memory patterns [9,10].
This similarity of the quantum and neural network pictures might not be only
superficial, as (real-valued) mathematical formalism of Hopfield¹s and Haken¹s
associative neural network models [9] is analogical [10]
to the (complex-valued) mathematical formalism of Feynman¹s propagator version
of the Schrödinger equation [11]. This also supports the
EM/ionic "optical" MW/ULF quantum holographic neural network-like function
of the acupuncture system (similar to complex-valued oscillatory holographic
Hopfield-like neural networks [10]), and its essential relation to (complex-valued quantum relativistic)
consciousness, as strongly suggested from modeling of altered states of consciousness
[2].